Facing Work-Life Challenges

Ever have one of those days when you just want to push the “delete all” button – in your inbox and life in general? I’m having one of those…weeks. I not only want to clear my inbox and start all over, but I wish I could do the same with my house and other aspects of my daily life.

I know many of you strive to manage it all and have some type of work-life balance, much like me. So, in an effort to help each other out, I’m going to lay it all out and share my current struggles. Perhaps in doing so, I can get rid of the mental clutter and move on to actually setting a plan of action to get things done. Or, at the very least, it will provide an outlet for venting.

Current challenges I’m struggling with:

160 unread emails: plus a bunch more marked unread and starred for action

Messy house: every room in our house needs help

An ever-growing to-do list: I have several projects I’m working on outside of managing this blog and my pregnancy blog. Each project has a to-do list that seems to add 2 items for every 1 I cross off.

Cooking: Last night was the first time in a while – maybe a month – that we had an actual real meal. I’ve been traveling quite a bit, and dinner menu planning fell off the radar.

Physical issues: Of course, due to the pregnancy, my energy and stamina are not what they should be. I’ve been able to keep up quite well, considering, as was pointed out by several friends who’ve seen me at recent events, but it’s still not what it could be.

So, what do I plan to do about it? I’m not exactly sure yet. I hope to stabilize one or two projects, so they can be more manageable. I may just hit delete on quite a few emails in order to get my inbox to a workable status. (Maybe. I’ll admit, it’s a little scary to think about doing that.) And, perhaps I can take advantage of upcoming weekends that are relatively free of commitments to dedicate time to the house and put a dinner menu back in effect.

Do you have current challenges you’re facing? Want to share with the rest of us in an effort to help each other with ideas for getting back on track?

Hi Melanie, I know exactly how you feel – Oh, yes. What do I do? I ask myself what’s most important “right now” and I focus on that. Important as in “which tasks are going to improve my professional and family goals combined.”nnI also hire help if I can afford it — a college student to run a few errands, or someone to come and help with chores just one time. nnDon’t worry…it’s going to be just fine. Don’t sweat the messy house, or the lack of cooking…it’s not gonna kill anyone. Just take time to rest. And, ignore those emails for a full week.

Hi Melanie, I know exactly how you feel – Oh, yes. What do I do? I ask myself what’s most important “right now” and I focus on that. Important as in “which tasks are going to improve my professional and family goals combined.”nnI also hire help if I can afford it — a college student to run a few errands, or someone to come and help with chores just one time. nnDon’t worry…it’s going to be just fine. Don’t sweat the messy house, or the lack of cooking…it’s not gonna kill anyone. Just take time to rest. And, ignore those emails for a full week.

Hi Melanie, I know exactly how you feel – Oh, yes. What do I do? I ask myself what’s most important “right now” and I focus on that. Important as in “which tasks are going to improve my professional and family goals combined.”nnI also hire help if I can afford it — a college student to run a few errands, or someone to come and help with chores just one time. nnDon’t worry…it’s going to be just fine. Don’t sweat the messy house, or the lack of cooking…it’s not gonna kill anyone. Just take time to rest. And, ignore those emails for a full week.

Hi Melanie, I know exactly how you feel – Oh, yes. What do I do? I ask myself what’s most important “right now” and I focus on that. Important as in “which tasks are going to improve my professional and family goals combined.”nnI also hire help if I can afford it — a college student to run a few errands, or someone to come and help with chores just one time. nnDon’t worry…it’s going to be just fine. Don’t sweat the messy house, or the lack of cooking…it’s not gonna kill anyone. Just take time to rest. And, ignore those emails for a full week.